Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

I had been looking at this product for about three months before I finally popped it into my metaphorical basket for the final time and actually proceeded with the checkout, and I'll tell you why it took me so long;

i) There is no illamasqua store/concession anywhere near me and I hate trying to chose a foundation shade online.
ii) I'd heard really mixed reviews, some people loved it, some hated it.
iii) It comes in at around the £32.00 mark, which may not sound a lot to some of you, but for me that's preeeetty darn expensive for such a small amount of foundation.

I liked the idea of a second skin feeling foundation, something that hid your imperfections quite well but let your skin breathe and didn't make you feel like you'd applied poly-filler to your face. I used Illamasqua's handy little shade comparison chart and opted for the shade 11 which is a good enough match, although I think its a little on the pink side for me, especially as its comparison was NC35-NC40. 

I first used this foundation whilst getting ready for work, which was my first mistake. I needed plenty of time to get to grips with this one - not a half hour slot for all my makeup, and my second mistake? Using my Nanshy Flat Top brush to try and stipple it into my skin (its my favorite method of application dont'cha know). I hated it. And that is no exaggeration, I actually took it off and opted for a foundation that I get along well with. I threw it into the back of my "don't use" draw and forgot about it for a few weeks. 

However, on Thursday I decided my vanity needed a tidy up, organize and a clear out and I came across this foundation and thought to myself 'what a waste of money' and so I decided I would give it another go. 

I found that using a different primer to the one I had used previously actually helped the application of the Skin Base this time, and made it stick to my face a little better (last time it seemed really patchy) and my complexion looked a lot more even and using my fingers to blend and apply the foundation worked a whole lot better than my trusty Nanshy brush did.

As I mentioned before, the colour match was okay - just a little pink. I evened this out by using a Mac MSF in Medium Dark, which is quite yellow toned to set the foundation and neutralize the pink.

And so, I've been using the Illamasqua Skin Base in this way for the last few days and I'm starting to enjoy using it. My skin hasn't broken out at all (fingers crossed) and my makeup wears pretty well with this as a base. 

The packaging is pretty simple and hasn't really got a wow factor, and with the first few uses you can really struggle to get any of the product out of the squeezy bottle as its so stiff. However, its easy enough to keep clean and dispense the right amount from - I just think it would be jazz-ied up a bit!

Overall I'd say this is an okay foundation, not the worst I've ever used but nothing to write home about either. I probably wont be repurchasing this one when/if it runs out as its in no way my favorite and it has a pretty hefty price tag at £32.00.

I'm sure it would work better for girls who only need a very light base, but I don't tan my face (only my body) and so I like a full coverage foundation that can help me match up with the colour of my body. 

And the lesson I've learnt? Don't buy foundations or pricey products that you're not 100% sure about online without visiting a beauty counter first! Lets see how long I stick to that rule for!

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L'Oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick

Despite usually being a bit timid when it comes to lip products, recently it feels as though I've been buying very little else and, here comes the strange bit, actually enjoying playing around with different glosses, lipsticks, crayons etc.

I have been reading about these 'liquid lipsticks' for some time now and I'll be honest, I thought they were another gimmick on the market to help us beauty fanatics to part with our cash. That was until I found myself online shopping a few days ago (no surprise there!), and one suddenly jumped into my cart.

L'oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick By Color Riche in Nude Ballet £8.99

When this lipstick/gloss hybrid arrived through my letter box, I was quite excited to finally get my hands on one and see what all the fuss was about. Let me just say this, I don't think I've ever used a product like this before. I was expecting something like the NYX Lip Cream as the name would suggest. However, I found this product to be a very pigmented (lipstick like) gloss, that isn't super glossy and is long wearing. A strange one, but I like it. The colour that I chose is a lovely and very wearable pink nude which is super flattering and doesn't look too pale on the lips.

The packaging is quite luxurious for the reasonable price tag with its gold colored vial with a window so that you can see the shade inside. It has a lid that twists off to reveal a doe foot applicator which is very soft and easy to apply the product with. The product inside smells gorgeous, it smells very sweet without being too sickly and I didn't notice the fragrance at all after ten minutes of wear.

I gave this lip colour a proper trial run yesterday during a ten hour shift hosting a wedding at the country house hotel where I work. I applied it before my shift (2pm) and didn't need to reapply until around 6:30pm. That's a whopping 4 and a half hours of wear, pretty spectacular for a glossy product in my opinion. And I should mention, I was super busy rushing around and had been eating and drinking within those four and a half hours. Super impressive! One thing that I did notice was that even when the 'glossy' side of things had worn off, there was still colour pigmentation left on my lips - they were not completely bare.  

And then there were the compliments, I was complimented on the colour of my lipstick/gloss on four separate occasions throughout the day - more than usual for a nude lip colour and something that I wasn't expecting at all. 

Today (the day after wear) my lips do not feel dried out or in need of some tlc at all which they can sometimes after using a lip product for a lengthy period. I think I'm going to have to invest in some of the bolder shades of this range.

So if you're looking for a reasonably priced lipstick/gloss hybrid with an array of wearable shades, looks no further! Now, where did I put that bank card...?

Have you tried any of the L'Oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipsticks? What did you think to them?

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Treats From Paris

Last Friday, my boyfriends sister Sarah and her mum traveled to Paris as part of Sarah's twenty first celebrations. I was jealous to say the least, but Sarah brought me back some treats seen as I wasn't able to go! When my boyfriend text me whilst I was at work to Sarah had brought me back a bag of goodies, I literally couldn't wait to get home and have a look!

In my opinion, no one does chocolate like the French, they create some of my favourite choccy treats in the world and so I was over the moon to find a load of gorgeous chocolates in my goody bag. The giant sticks that you can see in the picture are a selection of chocolate tubes filled with treats like marshmallow, and are absolutely delicious (currently tucking in whilst typing this post)! The flat type packages that you can see are flavoured chocolate bars, one being chocolate orange - always a winner, right? And the other is a white chocolate with vanilla speckles, I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll have to hide these from my other half or there'll be nothing left by tomorrow afternoon!  

As much as I love chocolate, the real excitement came when I saw the beauty products that she had picked out for me. I will say this, kudos to her on picking me out some foundations as its something I would never attempt to buy for someone else. The shades she got match my natural skin tone pretty well and will most likely be my go to foundations when I haven't tanned, or will be my base for when I'm going to use my Chanel cream bronzer. 

note - I've had to use pictures from the internet as I'm still camera-less and because of the late hour, I just can't get a good picture on my iphone in the false light in my house!

Maybelline Affinitone 16 Vanille Rosee 
This is a foundation by maybelline, and as you can imagine I couldn't understand a word of the description (my GCSE french clearly didn't teach me very much) but after a little search on the wonder that is the internet, I found that it is described as a perfecting and protecting foundation with vitamin E. It says that it evens out skin tone, masks imperfections whilst protecting the skin from environmental effects. This foundation feels very runny, in fact if you shake the bottle you can hear the product sloshing around inside, and once on the skin it feels very light and moisturizing, perhaps it wont work for my oily t-zone, but I'm sure this is nothing a little blotting powder wont fix. I would liken the feeling of this foundation to a bb cream and feel that it would provide a light to medium coverage, but it is very build-able and doesn't appear to cake. I'm thinking this might be a perfect foundation for 'barely there' foundation days - of which I love. Lazy girl at her finest! The product comes in a squeezy tube which I feel will be very easy to use and enable you to get every last drop of the foundation out. Another quality that I noticed from the off with this foundation is the scent. It smells absolutely divine, very floral, fresh and clean smelling. I'm super excited to give this a good wear and see how it fairs on my skin!

Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Le Lifteur 20 Beige Eclat 
In the bottle, this foundation looks super crazy. The foundation inside is swirled - the only way I can describe it is it looks like a helter skelter in a pump bottle. I have a suspicion that this foundation is from the same line as the Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles as the labeling is really very similar. Again, my french GCSE taught me nothing of use because I cant understand a word on the bottle - enter my little friend the world wide web again! Its a complexion lifting, that re-textures the skin surface leaving a smooth complexion. It claims to lift and plump the skin making it appear younger and more radiant. I honestly really love any foundation that comes in a pump bottle as I find them really easy to use, dispense from and keep clean. This product feels silky smooth on the skin and gives a medium to full coverage whilst still feeling light and creamy. Again, it smells ah-maaazing Do the french like good smelling cosmetics or what?! Super product so far and I'm really excited to start using this and seeing what it does for my skin. 

Miss Cop Nails Pop in No 1 Rose (pictured) & No 4 Vert
Sarah knows me well. I love changing up the colour of my nails and I've been loving pastels this spring, so I was really happy to find two super cute nail colours in my booty bag! I received a beautiful purpley-pink colour and a lovely icy green. Although the brushes to apply these are thin, I think they will make the polish really easy to apply as I can sometimes struggle and make a mess with the thicker/fatter brushes. These nail colours are really opaque, which is not always the case with pastel colours and I found whilst testing these out they only needed two coats for a lovely full coverage on the nail. The smell isn't too over powdering which I can find some nail varnishes can have and I'm really struggling to decide which one of these to use first!

So, that sums up my lovely surprise goody bag from my lovely sister in law (kind of)! I'm so so grateful and am really loving everything she picked out for me! How lucky am I to have such thoughtful members of extended family!

Do you have any of these products? Do you have any products that you always pick up when abroad? Have you had any nice surprises brought back from holiday?

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Benefit Box O' Powders Dupes?

I have been lusting after two of the benefit powders for so long now, but I just cannot seem to sacrafice my old favourite must haves in favour of something that just might not work for me. So when I found the W7 Honolulu and W7 Honey Queen Honeycomb Blusher I had to snap them up. To sweeten the deal even more for me, I recieved a 20% off code and also free delievery, making my affordable products super duper affordable!

Benefit Hoola Bronzer 
So, if you're unfamiliar with benefit products then where have you been all your life? Under a rock?! They are very cute, tongue in cheek and colourful packages that encase beautiful, if slightly pricey products. They would look stunning on your vanity table, and on your face of course! The Hoola Bronzer comes in a little purple cardboard box, with a bamboo motif in a light, almost sky blue which match the colour of the font used to tell you the items specifics (net weight ect). Included is also a small brush with a handle that is the same light blue as on the packaging. Opening the lid you can see that there is a small mirror included, which I can honestly say I don't think I would find use for, it's small and to be honest, I wouldn't have one of these box of powders in my handbag as I don't think they would travel all too well. The bronzing powder looks to be very brown in the packaging, but from what I've read, isn't very pigmented. As I haven't tried it, I can't really comment, but I'm hoping to pick one of these up in the next few weeks to try myself! 

W7 Honolulu Bronzer
Here is where the simalarities start - first of all is the name? Just me? Thought not. The W7 Honolulu bronzer comes in an identically sized box. The only differences that I can see are that of the colour of the box, the motif and the fact that this box of powder has a fully removable top without a mirror as apposed to Benefit's which boasts a flip top lid with a mirror enclosed inside. The W7 Honolulu bronzer box looks a little cheaper, but I'd expect that considering the price difference is a huge £20.50. Inside is a really soft brush very similar to that that benefit's hoola offers. This brush is a black handled, thin brush which I wouldn't necessarily use to bronze my face, but which may come in handy for contouring. The product again, looks very dark in the pan, and once swatched I can see that it's incredibly pigmented and almost a butter texture which I feel would blend out very well. There is no shimmer at all in this bronzer, which I am a huge fan of! I was a little anxious that this powder may have been very orange/red based which I have known some of the cheaper powders to be but upon swatching I am more than happy with the colour, and although there is a hint of orange in there, its mostly a tan shade which I'm hoping will prove very easy to work with. Even though I have picked this one up now, it's definitely helped me to make up my mind and order the Benefit's Hoola for two reasons. The first being so that I can really compare the two products for myself and the second being that I really love Benefit's range of products and want a treat, a girls prerogative huh!?

W7 The Honey Queen Honeycomb Blusher

The second item I purchased was this blusher, thinking that perhaps it might have been a dupe for Benefit's Rockateur. Sadly, this is in no way a good dupe or a blusher come to that. The packaging is super cute and I love the print and colours of the box. Included inside is the same brush as in the bronzer which again, although handy, I don't think its one that I would use to apply a blusher, and although it has been provided to help with on the go touch ups, I cant say that I would be likely to take one of these box of powders out and about with me as I don't think they would travel all that well, they're definitely a vanity table product. Inside the box is the most shimmery mosaic block I've ever come across which immediately made me cringe a little. I've pretty sure I haven't used a shimmer product like this since my early teen years when I learnt that a glitter ball look isn't something that suits me. So far, I've only swatched this product as I'm currently sat cross-legged and bare faced enjoying my day off which is my designated 'no makeup day' and might be able to get it to work as a possible highlight? But at the moment all I can get it to do is be super glittery with very little colour payoff. I also cannot get any blush colour from this at all, there's just no pink, peach or reddish pay off here. A bit of a waste!

Inside the box, this product looks super pretty, with pink, peach, mauve and a purple-ish colours but unfortunately the colour just doesn't pay off. I'm a little disappointed because I really wanted to enjoy using this product!

















So overall, its a mixed review! I'm totally in love with the bronzer at the moment, but I'll have to give it a couple of days wear to actually commit to it, but the blusher? I'm really not a fan. However, first impressions aren't everything so perhaps this one will grow on me? For £5.58 for both and including postage, you cant really moan can you? 







Have you used any of these products before? Do you have any W7 products that you adore? 
Have you used the benefit versions of these products? If so, what do you think of those?


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The Body Shop Haul

I can honestly hold my hands up and say I have never, ever made a purchase from the body shop before know. And I cant really explain why that is, I love that they're committed to being cruelty free and I love that all their ingrediants are all of the natural variety & that the company is committed to fair trade. Perhaps its because I never thought of the body shop as a makeup brand before, and although I do use skin care, I'm not what you could consider to be a skincare junkie (so shoot me). I can still remember holding my mums hand walking around the tropical smelling store when I was young and my mother used to wear Patchouli oil as perfume which she would buy from the body shop. When ever I get a whiff of that it takes me back to being a toddler, literally a flashback!

When I discovered last week that The Body Shop had a 40% flash sale and free shipping when you spent over £5.00 I just had to have a little browse, and surprise surprise a couple of items jumped into my basket! Delivery wasn't exactly speedy, but it was free and the delivery was done by Royal Mail. The items were delivered today (19/5/14) in brown envelopes that seem to be insulated with some kind of grey fluff, which I appreciated as I tend to worry that my items may get smashed or damaged in transit!

First up is the Honey Bronze Bronzing Gel For Face £12.00. This is described as a bronzing gel to be used on the face. As you will probably already know, I am a bronzing junkie and I'm always on the look out for a new product that will help me to look naturally tanned and feel better about the way I look, I just cant stand being deathly pale. I had the idea that perhaps this will be ideal for lazy summer days when I don't really want to wear a full face of makeup, but don't want to scare the neighbors with my ghost-like face! From swatching, this seems like a lovely, easily blend-able product with good colour pay off. I'm hoping it wont break my skin out, but as I don't plan on using this everyday I don't think this will be too much of a problem!

Seaweed Clarifying Night Treatment £11.00. Although I'm not exactly big on skin care, occasionally something grabs my attention and twists my arm to purchase and try it out. The Body Shop tells me that this over night treatment is for combination/oily skin and helps to combat excess oil while moisturizing skin at the same time. It promises to leave skin clear, hydrated and shine free. I'm excited to give this one a try tonight after I've cleansed and toned my skin as usual. The product smells really lovely, clean and fresh! The product comes in a 30ml bottle with a pump on the top which makes it easy to dispense. The packaging feels sturdy enough and I feel that it would travel well.

Rose Lipgloss £7.00. As you may know, I have been on a quest to find a lipgloss that is a close match to my beloved limited edition (and very nearly empty) Lancome Juicy Tube and this is a pretty close match. Its a really pretty, shimmery pink colour, which doesn't feel sticky on my lips at all. Granted, I've only had it on for ten minutes before writing this post, but still, first impressions and all that! 

Colour Crush Lipstick in 130 Sweet Coral £10.00 This is a beautiful lip colour, as you can gather from the name its a bright, slightly frosted pinky coral. The Body Shop's lipstick collection actually got me quite excited, which is unusual as I'm generally not that big on lips. I opted for this shade as I'm usually Mrs Boring and felt like being a little daring. This lipstick feels really nourishing whilst on and does not feel like it will dry the lips out at all - and I have dry lips! This product has a beautiful, but not overpowering smell to it and the packaging is really cute, and feels like it would protect the lipstick well. I'm definitely going to have a look at some of the other shades and add some more of these lovely little lippies to my collection!

Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 03 & 04 £13.00 each. Last but not least, I picked up these two beautiful bronzers. I got them in the two darkest shades as I tend to always be a lot darker than my natural skin tone! I bought number 03 for a colour base and the 04 to use as a contour. Both colours are completely matte and shimmer free, do not look at all muddy or orange on my skin and feel silkily smooth. The packaging is what I really love about these bronzers, they are encased in a beautiful tortoiseshell coloured plastic, which feels quite thick and protective. Inside is a lovely large mirror providing convenience when applying product on the go.  

So that's the lot, and I have to say so far, I am very happy with all my purchases from The Body Shop! I got some real bargains, considering I received 40% off everything and free delivery on top too! (Spent £66.00, applied the discount code and received my goods for £39.60, saving a whopping £26.40). The Body Shop has certainly proved its self to me and has been added to one of my favorite online makeup destinations!

Do you have any of these products? Do you shop from The Body Shop? What are your The Body Shop must haves?

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My Makeup Wish List

Surely I'm not the only person that has a continuously growing list of wants? I thought not. 
Here I have compiled an assortment of things that I am interested in, would like and need.

1) Hoola Bronzer Benefit £23.50
I have been lusting after this bronzer for as long as I can remember, but although I have had the opportunity to purchase, it would mean going without my beloved Mac MSF. I just haven't been able to make that sacrifice. Perhaps the next time I receive a generous paycheck I'll have to bite the bullet!

2) Long Wear Even Finish Foundation Bobbi Brown £30.00
I'm a bit of a self confessed foundation fiend, with my makeup storage currently hosting 17 different foundations, but that doesn't mean I'm not on the look out for more. I've heard some really great things about this foundation, and have been told that it works well on the oilier skinned ladies so it sounds like it ticks all the boxes for me!

3) Le Blanc De Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base £31.00
Having recently bought and tried out Soap & Glory's Hocus Pocus has made me want to try a higher end version of an illuminating base product. Could this just be makeup snobbery? Absolutely, but there's just something satisfying about having a Chanel product on your vanity..

4) Zoeva Luxe Complete Set £105.00
I would be lying if I said that I am loyal to one particular brand of brushes. I enjoy using different brushes, for different purposes by different brands. These include many of the Real Techniques brushes, Mac brushes, Nanshy brushes, Models Own brushes, Elf brushes. However, one brand that I am yet to try is Zoeva, and this luxe complete set looks like the ultimate set of makeup brushes. All I hear is good things by this makeup brush brand and I would love to get my sticky little paws on them!

5) Real Techniques Mini Brush Set £9.99
I actually had a little look for this brush set whilst I was in my local boots store yesterday, but sadly it wasn't in stock. This is the cutest little travel sized set of brushes containing the mini foundation/concealer brush for touch ups on the go, the mini face brush for all types of powder products and the mini shading brush to transform your eyeshadow on the go. I'm a sucker for anything in mini form, and these look like they would be really useful to have in your handbag, plus they come in a cute little pouch to help keep them clean!

6) Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Heftiest Hibiscus £17.00
I have wanted this chubby stick for around two years now, but have always either balked at spending almost £20.00 on what is essentially a lip balm, or when I have built up the courage to go and purchase, that particular shade hasn't been in stock. There's just something about this particular colour that almost mesmerizes me and i think that in the near future this is going to appear in my lip product draw!

7) Benefit Gimme Brow £17.00
I already have the Divaderma brow product within my collection, this (if you don't know) is essentially an older version of the Gimme Brow. It is a colour/fiber concoction held in a little glass tube with a doe foot applicator. You simply swipe onto your brows and it deposits both colour and fibers onto your brows to give them a boost and a more voluminous look that is still natural looking. However, being a cosmetic enthusiast I have been wanting to try the benefit version for a while. From what i can gather it seems to be more of a gel product that has fibers included? Gimme!

8) L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Color Riche (Rose Symphony, Tangerine Sonate, and Rose Melody) £8.99 each
I almost picked these exciting new lip products up yesterday, but I already had three lip products in my basket and with the boyfriend hovering around I just couldn't bring myself to pop those in too. (I'm meant to be saving up, dont'cha know). I think these three colours are really wearable and would look lovely on a summers day picnic or similar. This line of liquid lipsticks really has me intrigued, and I don't think it'll be long before I've snapped a few up.

9) No.7 Gel Look Shine Summer Nail Colour in Lemon Drop £7.00
This is the most beautiful pale, pastel yellow shade that I have ever come across and I need  this in my life as my go to summer nail colour. I usually tend to stay away from yellow nail colours as i think it can make your nails look stained and dirty, but I just cant see this happening with this particular shade. I look that its a 'gel look' nail product, I love a super shiny finish and a nail colour that resists chipping is always a winner in my book!

10) Maxfactor Colour Corrector Sticks £9.99 each
I'm really interested in these new CC Sticks, each of the five different coloured sticks has its own purpose and conceals different skin problems. Unfortunately these were not in stock yesterday when I went to have a look and so they are firmly on my 'want' list!

11) Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara £19.00
It seems every where I look at the moment, someone's talking about how fabulous this mascara is! Ever since my teenager days, mascara has been the product that I seem to have hoarded the most, and I can see that my lust for this mascara will not end until I have it securely in my eye makeup draw! It boasts a huge bristle brush and claims to give the lashes a full and intense flutter. Better than sex? I'm not sure, that's a pretty big claim to stake, I guess it depends how much you love mascara!

I actually thought there would have been a whole lot more on my wish list, but this is all i can think of so far. Have you got any of these products? Do you rate them? What's on your wish list?

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This Week's Beauty Buys

Happy Sunday guys!

This is a pretty straightforward post, just items that I've purchased or that have been finally been delivered this week!

Boots/Superdrug

So today I found myself in the town center for lunch with my boyfriend and it was of course inevitable that I would have a little browse in the beauty departments. 

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in 105 Demure and Revlon Colorburst Balm in 225 Sultry - £7.99 each
I've been back and forth with these 'balm crayons' for so long that I finally had to bite the bullet and pick some up. I went for a lacquer and a matte so that I could really try them out and find out which one would suit me best as I really couldn't decide in store. The lacquer crayon that i got is a beautiful pale pink nude shade with a lovely sheen to it, while the matte one is a darker, almost plum like shade and will most likely be used as an evening lip color. I've heard really great things about these lip crayons and hope that I enjoy them as much as others already do! 

Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick in 728 Honey Beige £6.99
I don't know what happened to me this week, but i seemed to have a thing for lip products, which i usually am not so bothered about. However, I just had to get this beautiful lipstick! Maybelline have just launched a new 'Nude' collection of both lip colors and nail varnishes. The lipsticks in this range seem to be the same formulation as the rest of the 'colorsensational' lipsticks and feel very nourishing on the lips. The color i chose is a warm, light brown color and seemed to have been the most popular as this was the shade that had sold the most. If you know me, you know that it is extremely rare to ever see me wearing a lipstick that isn't nude, so this is a welcome addition to my collection!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 3 Warm Medium £4.19
Recently, no matter whose blog I'm reading, or whose vlog I'm watching everyone seems to be in love with this concealer and being the nosy parker that I am, i just had to see what all the fuss was about. From swatching i can see that this is a really creamy, buttery concealer and the price tag is very welcoming. I picked this up in the warm medium, as although i love a brighter under eye, the fair was just way too bright for me. I'm looking forward to getting round to using this concealer and seeing if it can up my makeup game! 

Collection Illuminating Touch Brightening Concealer in 3 Glow £4.99
Whilst looking at the Collection range I came across this little love. I have recently discovered the L'Oreal Lumi Magique Concealer which is my dupe for the YSL Touche Eclat and have been loving using it, but i have already gone through three of those. And even though they are much, much more affordable than the YSL version they're still nearly £10.00 a tube. Enter the collection illuminating touch brightening concealer! This is almost identical to the L'Oreal one, the only difference that i can see is in the packaging and the price tag. I will of course update you on how well this product performs but i have a really strong feeling i may have discovered a dupe of a dupe!

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening Intensive Hair Mask £1.97 (Half price in Superdrug)
As you may know from reading my previous post on the condition of my hair here, I'm always on the look out for 'wonder products' to really heal my hair and help the condition of it. I've never truly been a fan of Herbal Essences, but at £1.97 can you complain? I have really been struggling to find a hair mask on the high street recently and so I thought I'd give it a go. Its a very generous sized tub, holding 200ml of product which smells divine. I'm hoping to do a bit of a hair pamper this evening so we shall see if this helps to manage my frizzy & distressed hair!

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Miraculous Recovery Intensive Masque £1.99
This is a repurchase for me, as i tend to use one of these every week. Its a really indulgent mask that leave hair smooth, easily manageable and sleek. I only got one from boots as i can usually find these quite a bit cheaper, but had to get one because i was feeling lazy and couldn't be bothered going all the way to the supermarket!

Dove Hair Therapy Intensive Repair Self Warming Hair Mask £3.49
After reading Miss Emma Charlotte's post on this hair mask here, I was on a quest to pick one up and see if it was possible that i could have the same results! I found it online on the boots website a few days ago but it said sold out, so i had to wait. However, I'm really happy that i managed to pick it up today. The packaging, although quite simple is very nice, and i feel that it would travel quite well. I'm going to save this hair mask for in the middle of the week when I'm usually rushing around and see if it can help me with both the condition of my hair and the manageability.

Online Purchases; Esscentual, Boots, Fragrance Direct.

 Soap and Glory Hocus Pocus Instant Illuminator £11.00
Working two jobs and putting in 20 hour days on average is definitely taking its toll on my skin and so i have been looking for an illuminator to help brighten up my tired skin. Basically i've been looking for an 8 hour sleep in a bottle. Even though I feel dead, I don't want to look it! This product by Soap & Glory promises to instantly soften visible flaws and illuminate the skin. It can be used alone, under foundation or mixed in with foundation. I think this is a really purse friendly alternative to say, the Le Blanc De Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base which comes in at £27.00.

Vichy Laboratoires DermaBlend Foundation £14.45

When I first read about this foundation, I will admit that I was a bit dubious. This product professed to do everything. But upon using it, I have to say that I am literally in love with the product. It does everything and more that i could ask of a foundation. It has the most amazing coverage I have ever come across yet doesn't cake in the slightest. You only need the tiniest amount for a full base as it blends out so easily, lasts all day and cleanses off like a dream. I have been using this for the last few days and have not broken out at all, in fact the few blemishes that i did have on my forehead have gone altogether. I will definitely be ordering more of this in the next couple of weeks as i don't to ever run out! The only downside, if you could call it that would be the design of the packaging, as it doesn't really appeal to me and isn't very pretty, but it does the job.

W7 Camera Ready Primer Magic £3.75

I bought this primer because i have been told that it is a really good dupe for the smash box photo finish primer, but obviously at a fraction of the price. I haven't gotten around to using this one yet, however, my boyfriends sister swears by it and it's on my list to try this week. The packaging reminds me of NYX's photoready primer review here, and is not exactly attractive. Its a little dull and boring but luckily for W7 its the product that we're interested in, not the bottle!

Feel Unique

Feel Unique have a special offer on every day throughout the month of may. Some of these special offers haven't interested me at all, however, the 50 products for £5.00 certainly enticed me, and although I wasn't quick enough to get everything that I had spotted, i got a few good little bargains!

Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan Mousse and Mitt Gift Bag £5.00 (Usually £9.99)

I'm a fake tan junkie. But before you judge me, I do not naturally tan, at all, nu'huh, not one little bit. I am as white as an emulsion-ed wall, once in the sun i will go to a lovely, highly attractive lobster shade and after a day or two i will return to my ghostly-self. I have been using fake tan since i was about fourteen, so of course this one interested me. It promises to be a non-sticky, accelerated tanning mousse and the fact that it came with a mitt was just a huge bonus seen as my dog likes to eat mine!

Blanx White Shock Toothpaste with LED Light £5.00 (Usually £7.49)

I have some slight staining on one of my front teeth from my brace days, its not anything that is very noticable and it doesnt bother me all that much, but this toothpaste promises to act instantly and remove any visable pigmentation on the teeth, and for only five pounds i thought i might as well give it ago. I don't know how much i believe that the led light has a massive effect of the tooth paste, as it just seems like a massive gimmick to me but we will see! I haven't started using this toothpaste yet as i'm finish my tube of sensodyne gentle whitening toothpaste but i will be sure to let you know if i notice any changes!

Kardashian Beauty Light Stroke in Fantasy £5.00 (Usually £11.95)

The Kardashian's beauty brand isn't something that has really grabbed my interest in the past, but recently i have been looking for a stick-type highlighter that i can use underneath my brow bone as a finishing touch. This product is actually double ended, on one end is the golden highlighting stick and the other contains a roll-on type shimmery powder. The packaging is simple, yet very nice and feels sturdy enough to pop it into your handbag if you want to. I was quite pleasantly surprised when this product arrived. The only downside being that you only get a teeny amount of the highlighting stick. Not something that bothers me so much now, but could do after a couple of weeks of use. And I'm not so sure that i would repurchase at almost twelve pounds. Its a nice product to have in your collection, but not necessarily a must have.

Ebay Buys

 Quite a few buys from ebay recently. I just find it really easy to shop from and you can find some real bargains!

Individual False Eyelashes £1,99 a pack, Eyelure Lift Off £3.49, Salon Systems Semi-Permanent Glue in Black & Dotty Elephant Tweezers £2.99

In the summer months i like to be able to get ready in a rush, I'm talking tinted moisturizer and out the door. So it makes sense for me to apply individual, semi-permanent eyelashes to help my quick morning routine. I find it much simpler and cheaper to apply me own instead of going to a salon. This way i can take my time, apply them how i want and am always happy with the end product. I picked up the eyelure lift off to help me remove any stubborn eyelashes that don't want to come off, but really any oil based product will remove them, and i picked up some new tweezers for the purpose of applying the individual eyelashes. I found these dotty elephant ones and fell in love with them, they're so cute!

Beauty Sponge £2.75

I know what you're thinking, 'she cheaped out on the beauty blender'. Well, I've had both the Beauty Blender and the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge but my puppy doesn't understand that they are not a toy. One, i found in bits all over the stairs and the second i found half buried in a flower bed in the back garden. So yes, I cheaped out. I only use this to blend concealer so didn't feel like spending a small fortune. 

Set of 4 makeup brushes 3.38 and Pump dispenser £0.99

I recently read a blog post here and instantly wanted everything mentioned in that post. I settled for the two that interested me the most. They were both sent from china, but arrived within ten days which i thought was super quick and they both had free postage. I'm using the pump bottle to hold my micellar fluid and it is so simple to use come bed time. The brushes, i am yet to use but already have them ear marked for specific jobs. Bargains galore!

So there you have it, a whole lot of beauty buys this week! I don't know how I've managed to accumulate so much, and now i feel quite guilty! There will be a Body Shop haul post around Tuesday/Wednesday, I'm just waiting for the huge package to arrive! 

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The daily face

Work day makeup

At this moment in time, I'm working two jobs. My day job is receptionist/admin work for a landscaping buisness & I go straight from there to my evening job of barmaid/waitressing. As you can imagine I need to be able to rely on my makeup to stay put and look good all day, so I thought I would share with you the products I use most days to help keep me looking fresh, awake and ready. My daily face! 

Step one: eyecream.

I suffer with really quite severe dark under eye circles & puffiness. I'm on my quest to find an eyecream that works for me. At the moment I'm really enjoying using the emu oil well eye cream, and it seems to be helping me. My eyes aren't as sore, don't leak (a real makeup ruiner) and I can definitely see a difference in the pigmentation in my dark circles.

Step two: primer.

For a work day primer I like to use something that's on the more affordable side that still works - this rimmel stay matte primer helps my makeup to go on really easily and last all day. 

Step three: foundation. 

I tend to save my more expensive foundations for special occasions or days out with my beau. However, this maybelline dream satin liquid although inexpensive, is one of my favourite foundations to use. It's definitely a full coverage foundation but for me that just means that it'll last all day without disappearing from my skin. It covers imperfections really well and doesn't settle into pores or lines.

Step four: bronzing. 

My chanel bronzer is my favourite ever bronzing product. I've gone a little back and forth with this one, I wanted it for so long, when I finally got it I wasn't so sure but now teamed with my nanshy flat top brush, I've fallen back in love! It gives a really natural bronze glow without making you look cakey. I much prefer it to a powder bronzer as it's so easy to blend and looks really natural once applied.

Step five: highlight.

Next I go in with my YSL touché éclat dupe, the loreal Paris lumi magique. I simple draw a triangle of this under each eye, a line down the bridge of my nose, under the brow bones and a little between the brows. This injects just a little highlight that is subtle but effective.

Step six: setting powder. 

Now the summer months are around the corner I have started to set my base with a tinted powder, enter the MAC msf in medium dark. It's the same-ish colour as my chanel bronzer so doesn't add anything or take anything away. It is a must have for setting everything in place, just to ensure nothing's going to slip around halfway through the day! 

Step seven: brows. 

I use my rimmel eyebrow pencil in dark brown. This is just a really quick and simple way to fill in my brows without doing anything too dramatic. It stays all day and leaves my brows looking well groomed. 

Step seven: mascara 

No eyeliner for work! I like to look fresh faced and awake, and I just don't have any time for eyeliner mistakes that take time to clean up and fix. I'm really loving maxfactors eye brightening mascara at the moment. I really feel like the tonal pigments in the mascara make my blue eyes pop! 

Step eight: blusher.

For a little bit of colour I go to MUA's powder blush in cupcake. This is a beautiful shade of peachy pink. I apply this with the real techniques blusher brush and blend in the direction of my temple. 

And voila! A very simple, everyday look that takes around 25 minutes to complete - which means more time hitting that snooze button! 

Do you have a work day makeup routine? Have you used any of these products? 

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Matching Lips & Nails

So, its a fairly easy concept. I like my nails and my lip colour to match, be it nudes, reds and pinks (pictured below).

For this look I selected a lipstick and nail colour in very similar colours, they do in fact vary  ever so slightly, but the difference is so small that you can barely tell by the finished product.

The lipstick I used for this fuchsia pink colour injection was the Rimmel Moisture Renew in As You Want Victoria £6.49 here. Rimmel have created a really nice, affordable range of lipsticks in a rainbow of colours. They are extremely creamy upon application, dry to an almost matte finish and do not dry my lips out at all, which is no mean feat - I am prone to dry flaky skin on my lips! Its a beautiful, long lasting colour that I think would suit a lot of skin tones. I always get compliments on my lips when I wear this particular lipstick and although it took me a while to build up the courage to wear such an 'in your face' colour, I'm really glad I did!

The nail varnish that I have partnered up with this lip colour is Rimmel Salon Pro Nail Polish in Simply Sizzling £4.49 here. I have found that brands will often make other products in a similar colour to one that you have already picked up, so I was very happy to find that Rimmel did a near perfect match to the lipstick that I had already chosen. I applied two coats of this nail varnish and finished it off with a Sally Hansen Insta-dry top coat which adds a super shiny, protective and fast drying coat to any nail varnish.

I find that matching up my lips and nails really livens up any outfit and makes me look a whole lot more 'put together'. I am also aware that celebrity stylists make sure their clients are often sporting a matching nail and lip combo!

What do you think? Have you tried the matching lip and nail combo? What did you think? I'd love to hear from you guys!

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April Favourites

April's Favourites;

I know, I know! Its the fourth of may, and I have been meaning to get this post up for the last couple of days but have been so busy with work that I just haven't had the chance!

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you the products that I have been loving throughout the month of April. I haven't necessarily purchased these items this month, and you may have seen some of these products in my other posts, but these are the ones that I've found myself reaching for nearly everyday!

I do apologise  for the quality of some of these images. Unfortunately I've missed placed my camera and am using my iPhone, which is slightly scratched over the camera lens and so does not always take the best pictures! 

Max factor Face Finity All Day Primer; £10.99

Having been a fan of Max factors All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation, I didn't have to think twice about trying this primer. As you may know, I love a primer, and on a recent trip to Manchester I found myself staring at this cute little glass bottle. It's silky soft, with easy application, a pump which makes dispensing a breeze and it feels very, very light on the skin. I would have to testify that it does make the application of makeup easier and it does indeed keep your foundation on for longer than normal. I'm a big fan! Luckily for me, when I bought this it had a little sample size of a mascara that came with it, and that too is definitely on my wish list now!

Urban Decay Deslick Makeup Setting Spray Oil Control Travel Size; £9.00

This is my holy grail setting spray. I have placed an online order for the full size bottle of both this and the original setting spray, but as of yet they haven't arrived! I use this spray pretty much every day to hold my makeup in place for as long as possible. It keeps oil at bay somewhat, although occasionally I do have to go in with a translucent powder to help control my shiny t-zone. I find that when using this spray my makeup doesn't slip or slide at all. It sprays out as a very fine mist so doesn't drown your makeup and it doesn't have a bad aroma - which I have found some of the cheaper setting sprays do have, although I don't find these to be a major con. This one is nice and slim and fits into my handbag or overnight bag with no problems. The bottle is very sleek and hardwearing, although I have found that it almost attracts makeup marks, nothing a quick wipe with a baby wipe wouldn't fix though!

Revlon Colour Stay Foundation in Natural Tan; £12.99

This month I've really been enjoying using this foundation as my everyday base. It very much reminds me of Estee Lauders Double Wear Foundation, but with a much smaller price tag! Its got a lovely creamy consistency and blends like a dream. It covers dark circles and imperfections really easily and I find that it works well for me. This is definitely a full coverage foundation but that doesn't mean its cakey/thick. I've been experimenting with different variations in application and find that you can still get a natural looking finish to your foundation using the..

Real Techniques Stippling Brush; £11.99

This is one of my favourite brushes out of the entire Sam & Nick Chapman Collection! I have previously used this as a finishing brush, to make sure everything is blended in properly and that there are no harsh lines left on show, however, since saving up and finally purchasing my beloved Mac 187, this one had become a little redundant. Until I saw a post about using a stippling brush to apply foundation! I was a little dubious because I'd never used anything to apply foundation other than my fingers and a traditional foundation brush. However using this brush is a dream. I have tried this with every liquid foundation that I own and I cannot fault its capability. It gives a really natural coverage, even when using a full coverage foundation. It helps to blend everything in seamlessly and the brush is super soft. I think I must have gotten some water in the feral last time I washed it and it has caused some shedding, it is no where near as thick as it used to be, but I love this brush so much that I've just ordered two more from the Superdrug website as they have a buy one get one free offer on at the moment! Unfortunately mine is in dire need of a good shampoo, which is what I'll be doing when I've finished this post!

Mac Mineral Skin Finish in Dark; £22.00

Next up I have my favourite powder. I actually use this as a bronzer, as I really like its light and natural texture but I think it has many uses to be honest. I recently had to buy this in dark and add it to my collection of Medium Deep, Medium Dark and Medium Plus as I've recently had my hair coloured a lot darker and its coming up to British summer time, so I have started my tanning properly. This is really easy to build up and blend out to achieve the perfect shade for you, and although it looks scarily dark in the pan its not actually so dark upon application. I have included a swatch on my inner arm, but as you can see (or not) you can't really tell where it is. Perfect for me!

Make Up Academy Powder Blusher in Cupcake £1.00

I've recently been trying to broaden my horizon's when it comes to blusher, but as you may know I'm not one for spending a ton of money on something that a) I'm not sure will suit me and b) I'm not sure I'll even use! Enter Make Up Academy's range of super affordable makeup products. I picked up four of these beauties in different shades, but this is definitely the one I like the most. It reminds me very much of MAC's blusher in melba but is a little more on the pink side than the peach. This has become my go-to blush for most days, its really nicely pigmented without giving me that clown look that is so not in!

Makeup Revolution The One Concealer in Light £3.00

Makeup revolution is fast becoming one of my favourite makeup brands. Its relatively new but has so many fantastic products on offer at super purse friendly prices. This is their 'one' concealer. Its a very nourishing, creamy concealer which I use to disguise my under eye circles. I know that it looks incredibly light in comparison to my skin tone but you must remember two things 1) In the picture of the swatch, the product hasn't been blended out at all, in fact that's about four coats of the concealer and 2) I love a brighter under eye area. It has good staying power and I haven't noticed that it creased on me, even though I had my makeup on for around ten hours. Its an absolute steal at just three pounds and as long as it continues to give me fantastic results I'll definitely be repurchasing!

Soap and Glory One Heck Of A Blot Powder £12.00

This is my new do everything powder. I have been using this as a setting powder, a finishing powder and indeed what it was intended for, a blotting powder! This powder literally just drinks up any shine in my shiny t-zone but doesn't leave any trace of itself or any chalkiness. It comes in a really sleek compact with a powder puff included, at first I didn't think much to the puff but when I gave it a chance I found that it was really good for on the go touch ups! I cannot believe that I didn't find this product sooner, and have already ordered an extra one to keep in my handbag!


So there you have it, those products were my favourites for this month. Have you used any of these products? What were your favourites for this month?

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